A Russian fighter jet intercepted a U.S. reconnaissance plane near the Black Sea on Monday, both countries said, but that was all they agreed on.
The U.S. Navy said its EP-3 Aries plane was flying over the Black Sea in international airspace when it was intercepted by a Russian Sukhov SU-27 fighter jet.
US military officials said the Russian pilot flew in an “unsafe” manner, tracking the U.S. plane for more than 2½ hours — and at one point coming within 5 feet of the U.S. plane.
The Russian jet crossed “directly through the EP-3’s flight path, causing the EP-3 to fly through the SU-27’s jet wash [wake turbulence],” the Navy alleged.